A few days after the latest international event at Blue Derby, mountain bikers continued to dominate in the Tour of Tasmania road race.
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National mountain bike champion Cam Ivory extended his dream run in the state with back-to-back victories in the gut-busting 670-metre prologue up Launceston’s Brisbane Street West.
His conclusive win comes three days after also claiming back-to-back wins in the equally-exhausting Lawrence Street hill challenge after which he upgraded his second-placed finish in last year’s Stan Siejka Classic to another victory.
All of which makes up for missing out on the 2016 classic despite leading on the final corner.
“I’m really happy with how everything’s gone – it’s been the perfect start to our week in Tassie,” Ivory said.
“To start the tour in yellow is just perfect and we will try and hold onto that for as long as we can.”
It’s short, hard, painful but fun and that suits me pretty well
- Tour of Tasmania leader Cam Ivory on the Brisbane Street West uphill zigzag
The 26-year-old, who hails from Newcastle but lives in Adelaide, relished the torturous zigzag course.
“It’s short, hard, painful but fun and that suits me pretty well. There are a lot of climbs on the mountain biking scene that go for about two minutes so I love this and am pretty happy to get it for a second year.
“It’s a long minute and a half through those switchbacks. You’ve got to pick good lines, keep your momentum going and just keep pushing even when the legs have had enough.”
Ivory’s time of 1:31.81 was a new personal best for the course and just inside the 1:32.40 which gave him the win last year.
Tristan Ward, of NSW, was second in 1:33.34 and Victoria’s NRS leader Raph Freienstein was a further three seconds behind in third.
A warm afternoon on a spectator-friendly course that has been likened to a mini Alpe d’Huez by race director John Trevorrow made for an ideal start to the jewel in the crown of the National Road Series.
And the mountain biking theme continued beyond Ivory.
Juan Pierre Van Der Merwe, who was a fat-tyre specialist in his native South Africa before moving to Western Australia two years ago, won the under-21 category in 1:40.24.
Meanwhile, Margate’s Kaine Cannan enjoyed a spell in the hot seat before eventually finishing as the leading Tasmanian in seventh overall (1:41.71).
The 33-year-old is a six-time state downhill champion, state enduro champion, has twice finished second in the national enduro series and was in the top 30 at the world equivalent.
Despite swapping downhill mountain biking for uphill road riding, Cannan adapted like a natural.
“There’s a big difference. They’re both bikes but completely different disciplines, polar opposites really,” he said.
“There’s lots of stuff like this in Hobart but not quite as steep around the corners.
“It definitely favours mountain bikers. It has that punchiness that mountain biking delivers transferred onto the road.”
Cannan’s first real taste of road racing was in Sunday’s classic where he finished in the main group and he jumped at the chance to back up in the NRS with the TIS Racing team.
“I was going to enter solo and a few of the young guys could not make it so I was asked to ride with this team.
“I know Dan Furmston, Luke Thompson and a few others from mountain biking and have done lots of club stuff but never anything like the NRS.
“This is my first attempt and it’s going OK so far.”
TOP 5
1. Cameron IVORY (GPM) 1:31.81
2. Tristan WARD (BSC) 1:33.34 +2
3. Raphael FREIENSTEIN (IFM) 1:36.39 +5
4. Jay VINE (AMR) 1:36.77 +5
5. Ryan STANDISH (AMR) 1:38.89 +7
SCHEDULE
THURSDAY – Road race (115.9km), George Town to Grindelwald (MEN 10.30am)
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